Engine starting mechanism



Aug. 28, 1934. R. P. LANSING 1,971,986

ENGINE STARTING" MECHANISM Filed Jan. e, 1930 Patented Aug. 28, 1934 .ENGnvE sTAR'rINGMEoHANIsM- Raymond P. Lansing, Montclair, N. J., assignor yto Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange,

N. J., a corporation` of New Jersey Application January s, 1930, serial No. 418,959 '1s claims. A(ci. 123+11'9) This invention relates to starting devices for internal combustion engines andmore particularly to starters of the inertia type.

One of the objects of thepresent invention is ilto providea novel enginel starter of the type havtype engine starter which'is especially Well adapt-V ed for use with engines of the outboardtype commonly employed to propel small boats because of its size and low manufacturing cost and the fact that it may be mountedas a unit on such an .enf .20Lgine without requiring achange inlthe design thereof. Y l

1" Another object: istov provide Va Vnovel engine starter wherein the energy stored in Ya rapidly rotating'inertia member maybe transferred toa member of the engine vto be startedj'through. a novel arrangement of parts which eliminates the usual rrequirement of this type of ,starter for a due to fixed member for absorbing the reaction starting. l Y ,l .Y

Still another object isto provide a no'v'elfengine starter of the inertiatype' which isucharacterized by the factV that after the engine hasattained `a predetermined speed under its own power, the elee ments of the starting mechanismvare held againstv further rotation independent ofthe engine mem-r ber and thereafter constitute aywheel for said engine.

The above and'other objects will appear more fully in the detailed 'description of the inven- ,tion which follows; In the drawing, Whereinlike reference characters different views, f 't ,t t

Fig. 1 isa side`elevation, in section, vof one embodiment of kthe present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan -view of the parts shownin Fig. 1. A

The embodiment vof the invention illustrated is particularly adapted for use in starting' Voutboard motors, but is notlimited to suchuse, and com- Aprises an inertia member, together with means refer to like parts in the for actuating and storing energy therein, mounted on and housed Within a rotatable member of the engine to be started, said' inertia member and actuating means being adapted forrotation inde- .pendently of `said engine member l prior Vto' the starting thereof, but also designed for engage# ment and rotationwith saidmember after the engine has been started andvhasl attaineda predetermined speed. Y Y

Infthe'form Vshowri,the engine to be' started'is 00 provided. witha rotatablefmember 3, which, if desiredpmay beyin the form of a flywheel drivably Isecured to a shaft 4 by .any suitable means such as a key 5qand nut 5a. Shaft 4 may be the crankshaft of the engine or an extension -thereof. 55 Rigidly attached, as by means .of screws 6, to the Aupper face of member 3 is a casing member 7 which is designed to house and support a portion of the inertia actuating means. A cover`p1ate-8 closesthe upper end ofcasing member 7 and is 70 secured thereto by any' suitable-means suchfas screws 9. Coverplate 8 is provided withv a central opening l0 surrounded` by a ange '11 through Which'extends a verticalshaftalZ'. A ball bearing `13"is mounted in'kange 11 for'rotatably supporting said shaft, said bearing* being re` tained inilange 11 byan annular retaining ring 14 which is'secured to cover plate 8fby anyfsuit-v able'means 'such as a'plurality of pins115 which' are fitted with washers and cotter pins. fThelower end of shaft 12 isjournaled in a recess'l formediin the upperend of shaft 4, a suitable bushing 1'6a being fitted in the recess'.

Shaft 12 constitutes-the` driving or` cranking member of the means for actuating and storing energy'in the inertia member. `To this end said shaft is'provided with an enlarged portion'l'l ad-V jacent its lower end 'to which is drivably secured in any suitabe manner, as by splines, a driving gear 18 which meshes with a'p'air of diametrically dis- 90 posed pinions 19, itrbeing understood that a larger number of such pinions 19 may be employed if desired. As'shown, each pinion 19 is fromed as an integral part Vof a shaft 20' which is rotatably supported in a boss 21 formed in and projecting from the interior surface of casing member '7. A suitable bushing`224 is fitted Within each boss 21, and shaft 20 isheld against longitudinal movement therewithin bymeans of a nut 23 threadedy on the lower end of said shaft. The latter ycarries,`at its upper end,a spur vgear 24 which meshes with a pinion 25 that is formed integralwith the lower en dof a sleeve shaft 26 which surrounds the up- 'f per portion of, yand is freely rotatable relative to shaft 12. y t end of vshaft 12 is a pair of projecting pins 27 .which are adapted` to be engaged` by a suitable Extending laterally from the upper housing yretained in positionby the same screwsil,

hand-crank and pins 27 will be transmitted throughgear 18, pinions 19, gears 24, and pinion to sleeve shaft 26, and'due to the ratios of the gears employed shaft 26 will rotate at a much higher speed than shaft 12.

The inertia member of the starting meehanismfis adapted to be operatively connectedto slflaft` 2 6 and driven-`thereby through novel friction clutch'means. As shown, saidinertia member any suitable means and isheld against'longitu# dinal movement thereon by the inner raceof bearing 13. Upper disk 32is also drivably secured to sleeveA shaft 26 als'by splines fand is resiliently urged into clutching contactwith the upper face of web 29 by means of a spring33. The upperendA of the latter bears against a flanged po rtion34 of a nut 35 which is threaded lonto the upper end of sleeve shaft26 and heldin Vadjusted position by a lock nut 36.1- .The torque transmitted-by clutch 29, 31, 32 may be readily varied byf-adjust-- ment of nut 35. If desired, the clutchrmechanism and ilywheel may be enclosedinla light,- metal that secure plate 8 to v casing member -7.

` The mechanism` above described constitutes'Y means forstoring up energy tobe subsequently used, at thewill ofthe operator, for cranking and starting. the engine.V NovelA means are` provided forA operatively connecting the flywheel, afterl the desired amount of energyl has beenstoredk therein, tothe member of the engine to be started, lFor this purpose,;the hub of gear18 -is providedwith an enlarged portion 38 to which is splined-a ,lon-- gitudinally movable, jaw clutch member.,;39 :adapt. ed forengagement with asimilar Vmember ,40A which is rigidly Vsecured to engine member Bias; byrivets 41. A spring 42, interposedbetween the: upper-,endof shaft 4 and the bottom nfaceof ani internal ange 43 carriedby; clutchl member 39.. normally maintains the latterout of xdrivingerr-,

gagement with member 40.-jV

A meshing rod 44 which extendsthrou'ghthe bore of` shaft 12 is provided for -movingaw member 39 intoA engagement withl jaw, member at the will of the operator. Rod 44 carries,

adjacent its lower end, a'pair of projectiing pins if 45 which extend through elongated radialslots 46v formed in shaft 12, and which engage the upper l it may be easily attached to any engine, and resurace of flange43 of jaw member39.

In operation, the hand crank Vis engaged with pins 27 and shaft 12 is rotatedruntil the'ywheel is brought up to a speed sufficient to store the desired amount of energy'foruse instartngv the engine.` It Will be noted that rod44is not accessible when the hand crank is engaged with cranking shaft12, and that shaft 4, c asingw'l, and bosses i 21 arestationaryv during thetimethat energy is;l being stored. in .the inertia member.'.When-Yth e. hand crank has been brought: to aspeed ofapproximately 5G R, P. M. for example,A thes crank is disengaged from pins 27 andmeshing rod 44 is, moved downwardly by hand whereupon jaws' 39 and V40 are engaged, land the resultant Teaction,due'tothegtendency to stopgear 18 fromrotatingpisexerted upon casingmember, 7 of engine member 3V through thefmediumfof shaftsY 20 and bosses 21,- and the casing 7 and ,engine Voutboard type, because of its compactness and.

members 3, 4 are rotated, whereby the engine is cranked and started.

Should the engine backfire during the starting operation, the starter parts are fully protected against damage by the Afriction clutch 31,

29, 32. When the engine operates under its own powerand tends to drive clutch member .39, the inclined teeth of said jaw clutch members and spring 42 are eiective to move saidl clutch member'androd 44to normal or non-engaging position.

The reduction vof weight is often a question ofprimaryiiinp'ortance in engine installations of 4 i.he 1typedisclosed herein and the present invention embodies novel means for drivably con- "nect'inglthe starter elements to the engine crank- Ys'haftjafter the lengine has started under its own power and attained a predetermined speed of ro- .tation, wher eby said elements act as a flywheel 'for the" engine and the usual iiywheel may be eliminated or greatly reduced in Weight. To this end,' c entrifugally actuatedpmeans are provided on the casing, which are effectiver upon rotation of the engine member ata predetermined speedtoengage theinertia member or iiywheel and-causethe sametogether with the other ele- -ments ofthe mechan ism, to rotate in unison kwith the engine shaft. As, illustrated, the c en Whentheengine starts under itsownpower andthespeed of engine member 3 increases to a predetermined point, pawls 4 7 iiyout under cen-, trifugal 'force and engage depressions 49 which are formedin the inner periphery of oneof the rirnmembers 28 of ltheiiywheel, thus forming a. driving .connectionbetween the engine member 3` andfth'ef inertia member whereby the entire startigifmechanislm yrevolvesr with the engine memtierk asafunit, its mass thus augmenting thatof vmemberZito .formv a ywheel for'fthe engine.

`There vis thus provided a novel` engine `starter of the inertia Itype which is simpleandrugged structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and eilicientin operation. It is especially welll adapted forl use 'with small engines, suchas those of the'l light weight. Since it isa self-contained unitY quires no external supporting means, the whole unit .being carried by arotating member o f the engine. A further feature of the present invention whichmales it particularly well suited to` engine installations of the outboard type is that the mechanism performs the dual :function of starter and kengine iiywheel. Simple and eicient means vare Yprovided to protect the parts against damage from a backre,

y The invention is not limited to the specific form or use described Vand illustrated in the drawing, but is capable of a vvariety of mechanical' embodiments and uses, and reference is therefore to be .had to theappendedclaims foi'- a definition of the ofthe type` embodying a. highsp'eedinertia mem- 150 fifi housed within said casing and mounted for rotation relative thereto, means for actuating said inertiamember and storing energy therein including a cranking shaft, a gear train, and a friction clutch, and a member drivably secured to ran element of said gear train and adapted for engagement with the engine member at the wil of the operator. l Y

3. In an engine starter, the combination of a rotatable engine` member, a flywheel mounted on said engine member and adapted for independent rotation relative thereto, means for rotating and storing energy in said flywheel, means for transferring the energy thus stored in said flywheel to the rotatable engine member for starting the same, and means effective upon the attainment by said rotatable engine member of a predeter-` mined speed for positively engaging said flywheel with said engine member so as to prevent further relative. rotation between any of theelements of the combination, all of the elements of said combination being carried by said rotatable eng gine member.

4. In apparatus of the class described, an engine member to be started rotating, 1a casing member secured to saidrengine member, a flywheel mounted within said casing member and adapted for independent rotation relative thereto, means including a gear train for rotating said llywheel and storing energy therein, means for engaging one element of said gear train with the engine member at the will of the operator,

and centrifugal means carried by said casing member for positively engaging said flywheel when said casing member attains a predetermined speed of rotation.

5. In combination with a member of an engine to be started, a flywheel in which energy is adapted to be stored for starting the engine, means for rotating the flywheel, means for drivably connecting the flywheel and engine member for rotation of the latter by the former at a substantially reduced speed, and means mounted on the engine member and rotatable therewith for supporting the flywheel and said iirst and second named means.

6. In combination with a rotatable member of an engine to be started, a flywheel in which energy is adapted to be stored for starting the engine, said flywheel being adapted for rotation therewith during normal operation, a supporting casing for the flywheel rigidly attached to the engine member, means for drivably connecting the flywheel and engine member for rotation of the latter by the former at a substantially reduced speed, and means for rotating the flywheel relative to the casing to store energy-therein. Y

7. In combination with a rotatable member of an engine to be started, a casing rigidly secured to said engine member, a flywheel rotatably supported by the casing, means for rotating the flywheel to store energy therein for starting, means for drivably connecting the flywheel and engine member, and means operable after thepengine startsunder its own power for rotating the starter elements in -unison with the engine member.' l f 8. In combination with a rotatable member of an engine to .be started, asupporting member rigidly attached to said engine. member, a ilywheel in which energy is stored for starting the engine,said flywheel being'r mounted on the supporting member and adapted for rotation relative to the supporting member during the starting operation, means mounted on the supporting member and operable during the'starting operation to drivably connect the flywheel and engine member, and centrifugally actuated means for connecting the flywheel and supporting member whereby the ywheel'andengine member rotate in .unison rduring normal operation. i y 9. In apparatus of the'class described, an engine memberv to be .started rotating, a casing member secured to said engine membexg'a flywheel mounted within said casing member and adapted for independent rotation relative thereto, means including ya gear train'. for rotating said flywheel and storing energy therein,-means for engaging one element of said gear train with the engine member at the will of the operator, and centrifugal means carried'. byl said casing member for positively engaging said flywheel when said casing member attains a predetermined speed ofrotation.v 10. In mechanism ofthe class described, a ro'-` tat'ablemember of an engine to `bestarted, a' casing rigidly secured thereto, an inertia membei` housedfwithin said casing and mounted for rotation relative thereto, meansfor actuating said inertia member and storing energy therein, and amember drivably secured to an element of said actuating means and adapted for engagement with the engine member at the will of the operator.

11. In mechanism of the class described, a rotatable member of anengine to be started, a casing rigidly secured thereto, an inertia member housed within said casing and mounted for rotation relative thereto, means for actuating said inertia member and storing energy therein including a gear train, and a member drivably secured to an element of said gear train and adapted for engagement with said engine member atV the will of the operator.`

A12. In apparatus of the class described, an engine member to be started rotating, a casing member secured to said engine member, a `flywheel mounted within said casing member and adapted for independent rotation relative thereto, means including a gear train vfor rotating said flywheel and storing energy therein, means for engaging one element of said gear train with the engine member at the will of the operator, and means carried by said casing member for positively engaging said flywheel when said casing member attains a predetermined speed of rotation.

13. In combination with a rotatable member of an engine t-o be started, a supporting member rigidly attached to saidengine member, a ilywheel in which energy is stored for cranking said engine member, said flywheel being mounted on the supporting member and adapted for rotation relative to the supporting member during the starting operation, means mounted on the supporting member and operable during the starting operation to drivably connect the flywheel and supporting member, and means for connecting 150` the'4 ywheelland engine member whereby :the flywheelk and` engine. member -rotate .in unison.

' 1 4. Incombinationwith a rotatable. member of an engine to be started, a flywheel in which energy is stored oricranking said engine member, saidiiywheel being adapted'iforV rotation" during the. starting operation, means operable during the starting 'operation to drivably connect. the flywheel and' enginamember; and centrifugally actuated' means for-connectingthe flywheel and engine memberrwhereby the flywheel yand enginek memberrotate inV unison.

- 15. In .fi-mechanism 'ofthe class described, a member -to be startedrotating, a flywheel mounted forrrotation independently of said member, means'for accelerating said flywheel including a gear train; at least one gear elementof which is disposed within said memberbearing meansr integral withsaid member for rotatably supporting said'gearelement, said ybearing 'means and member `being stationary :as said gear element rotates-y with said ilywheelv accelerating means, and means lfor drivably connecting said gear train with -saidmember to be started rotating,

A thereby setting upa. force tending to ,cause said bearing ,means to move' Withsaid gear element about a common axis and thus cause said member alsoxto rotate; about said. axis.

16.' In a mechanism of the class described, a member to be. started rotating, a flywheel mounted for rotation independently of' said member, means` foraccelerating said flywheel including a pairof; diametrically disposed pinions. mounted vof an engine` tobe started, an inertia starter mounted on the `rotatable member, said starter including a reduction gear train and a high speed ywheel ldriven thereby, means for storing energy in said flywheelthrough said gear train, and means supported by said member and including said gear trainfordrivab1y `connecting said ily- Wheel and member after energy has been stored in the flywheel.

18.,In .combination with a rotatable member` of' anA engine to be started, an inertia starter including a gear train having every element thereof mounted onthe rotatable member, said starter alsoincluding a high speed ywheel, and means.

for storing energy in said flywheel through said gear train, and subsequently operable means acting:independently of said flywheel -for drivably connecting said flywheel and'engine member. f

' RAYMOND P.` LANSING. 

